E
uropean Airbus rolled out the first A400M military transport aircraft on June 26 from its assembly line in Seville, Spain. Spanish King Juan Carlos I presided over the ceremony to mark the event. “This event demonstrates our joint determination to show that EADS can design and manufacture a long-range military transport aircraft which will set new standards in airlift and open further potential in international markets,” said Louis Gallois, CEO of Airbus parent EADS in a company statement. Indeed Airbus hopes to break into the market for medium and larger sized airlifters now dominated by Lockheed Martin C-130s and Boeing C-17s. The program has had its share of challenges. In fact, Reuters news wire service reported June 26 that the A400M’s first flight, already delayed by months, has been pushed back even further until the fall. Launched in 2003, the A400M program has 192 aircraft on order for nine customers (initial participants Belgium, Britain, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, and Turkey, and follow-on orders from Malaysia and South Africa).
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.